


Blaze of Red

by Vakaara



Series: Under My Skin [5]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Kissing, M/M, Naked Cuddling, Oozaru, Saiyan Tails, Saiyan headcanon, kakavegeweek2021, traumatic memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 04:54:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30117441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vakaara/pseuds/Vakaara
Summary: Goku’s happy for Vegeta when he gets his tail back - but things have changed since the last time Vegeta had a tail.
Relationships: Son Goku/Vegeta (Dragon Ball)
Series: Under My Skin [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1735372
Comments: 3
Kudos: 48
Collections: Kakavege week #10





	Blaze of Red

Vegeta dropped from the clear blue sky to land at their sparring spot, grin wide, eyes bright. He looked comfortable. Goku smiled back, glad all over again that Vegeta no longer felt the need to guard his happiness as he once had.

“Something good happen, Vegeta?” It must have, for him to be grinning like that. Maybe something with one of the kids?

“It’s back!” Vegeta was in Goku’s space, hands warm on Goku’s biceps, still smiling wider than usual. 

It was a good look on him. Goku leaned in for a kiss, hot and familiar. Slid his hands down to grip Vegeta’s waist.

“What’s ba—,” mid-question, Goku felt _fur_ , “oh! Your tail!”

“Mmm.” Vegeta pressed closer, arms around Goku’s neck. Pushed himself up on his toes so that he could nip at Goku’s lower lip even now that Goku was no longer bending over. “You should hurry up and get yours back.”

“Ah.” Goku tensed at the thought, even with Vegeta wrapped encouragingly around him. Vegeta noticed, pulled back, frowned. Goku shrugged in apology, reaching to rub at the back of his head.

“Well, whatever.” Vegeta took several steps back, _smirked_ , and Goku would never get tired of that expression. “Ready to learn your limits, Kakarot?”

* * *

Vegeta was _stronger_ now that his tail was back. Goku had forgotten that little detail, how his own strength had always gotten a boost whenever his tail returned. 

Still not worth the risk.

“Too slow!” Vegeta yelled, dodging Goku’s punch to retaliate with a fist in Goku’s stomach. Goku doubled over, coughing, grinned at the challenge as he twisted himself back upright to counter with a ki blast. Watched with delight as Vegeta spun out of the way, a graceful arc that he completed by hurling successive ki blasts at Goku’s chest.

This reminded him a little of the first time he’d fought Vegeta. That wild energy, the _challenge_. One of Vegeta’s ki blasts singed off half of Goku’s shirt, and Goku laughed.

“Little early to be taking my clothes off, isn’t it Vegeta?”

“Learn to dodge, then!” Vegeta closed in with a kick sweeping towards Goku’s rib cage, grin widening as it connected, slamming Goku sideways. Nothing to collide with, no mountains here. Goku tumbled a few times before catching himself mid-air. 

Vegeta was there to meet him, arm closing tight across Goku’s neck, cutting off Goku’s air. 

Huh. Goku slapped at Vegeta’s arm a few times, yielding the spar. Vegeta’s arm loosened, enough for Goku to breath easily again.

Pressure around his waist suddenly. Goku reached down, wanting to confirm, felt something warm flip in his stomach at the brush of fur against his fingers again. Vegeta’s tail around his waist. 

Vegeta shivered, and Goku repeated the motion, brushing his fingers against fur again.

“Mmhh.” Roughness in Vegeta’s voice, hunger in the way he pressed his nose, lips, to the side of Goku’s neck. 

Well, wasn’t that an interesting discovery. Goku smirked.

“You ready to get the rest of my clothes off, Vegeta?” 

Vegeta growled and simply tore off the other half of Goku’s shirt, so Goku figured that was a ‘yes’.

* * *

They lay together naked in the grass, sweat cooling on their skin. Nearby the river continued its unhurried journey, hushing softly past.

“I think I like your tail being back.” Goku rubbed his fingers at the base of Vegeta’s spine, the junction of tail with back. Vegeta groaned softly, and Goku pressed a kiss to Vegeta’s forehead. Obliged with a following kiss to his lips, when Vegeta tilted his head demandingly. 

The kiss deepened, both of them pressing closer. Goku sighed, rolled them over so that he lay completely on top of Vegeta, braced his arms on either side of Vegeta’s head. Followed the first kiss with another, then another, til they were both panting, lips swollen, breath mingling between them.

Maybe they could just stay out here today. Goku didn’t want to let go at all, when Vegeta was being so openly affectionate. Rare still, though getting wonderfully more common.

Goku shifted down slightly, pillowed his head on Vegeta’s chest, trailed fingers over Vegeta’s ribs. Felt Vegeta’s tail wind around his waist. Goku hummed happily, pressing a kiss to Vegeta’s bare skin, right over his lazy heartbeat. 

Felt, because he was wrapped so close, the moment when Vegeta’s breath hitched, his heartbeat quickening.

“Shit,” Vegeta whispered, sounding _confused,_ and that wasn’t right. Goku sat up alarmed, stared at Vegeta’s face, trying to figure out what had changed so suddenly.

Vegeta’s eyes looked _off_ , somehow, and Goku couldn’t place it for a moment until Vegeta started to _shift_.

A nightmare transformation. Nose and jaw elongating, teeth sharpening, fur. The sheer _mass_ coming from nowhere. Goku darted back, heart slamming. Felt unusually vulnerable at his nakedness. 

“Vegeta?” He was still in there, right? Vegeta wasn’t like Goku, he kept his reason when he transformed. He’d look scary, but that would be all, right? He wouldn’t actually _become_ a monster just because he looked like one.

Goku had seen Vegeta’s own memories of the transformation. A glorious rush of power, delight in rage being released, a shape that fit the fury always simmering under his skin.

As much as Goku had hated the feelings that came with those memories, bloodlust and glee and violence, there has still been _consciousness_ , not the horrifying blackout Goku experienced with his own transformations. Horrifying not in the happening, but in the aftermath, the fear of what he could have lost.

Vegeta lived furious. Maybe that was why he could control his Oozaru form so well. He was always riding that barely contained rage.

The Oozaru turned to Goku, snarled, and Goku could detect no hint of recognition in those blazing red eyes.

“Vegeta?”

It abruptly occurred to Goku that Vegeta _had_ been used to functioning through tidal waves of rage back when he was in the PTO, back when he transformed into an Oozaru regularly, but that _Vegeta didn’t live like that anymore_.

With a roar, the Oozaru released a ki blast from its mouth, cratering the ground that Goku had just leapt clear of.

Shit.

The Oozaru chased Goku. Following the fun, moving toy. Animal, rage given form, spitting ki blasts the whole way.

It would be easy enough to cut off Vegeta’s tail and end the transformation. He didn’t seem like he’d be big on strategy when he was like this. 

But he’d been _so happy_ to have it back. Goku couldn’t just _take_ it from him again.

Trees shattered around them, terrified animals fleeing. He’d have to avoid leading Vegeta to any towns. Goku diverted part of his attention to ki sense, stretching out, charting an unoccupied path.

That was a mistake.

Huge hands closed around him, squeezing, and Goku screamed. The sensation was horribly familiar.

He’d underestimated Vegeta’s Oozaru speed the first time, too.

“Vegeta!” It wouldn’t work. Vegeta wouldn’t recognize him like this. Goku grit his teeth, hesitated to power up to Super Saiyan, felt his _bones grind, oh fuck not again_ , “Vegeta, stop, it’s me! It’s Goku!”

That was his Earth name. Would his Saiyan one be better? 

Vegeta squeezed harder, and Goku _screamed_ , breath vanishing, no longer able to yell any name at all, and _oh Kami this was just like the last time, he didn’t want that many broken bones again, not again, he couldn’t take another stay in a hospital cocooned in plaster—_

The pressure vanished, just short of cracking bone. 

Giant hands opened, dropping Goku to the dirt. He lay stunned for a moment, gasping in air.

“Ka… karot.” Those growled words. _Words. His name._

“Vegeta?” Goku pushed himself up, found the giant ape on its knees, looking _confused_ , he didn’t know how an Oozaru face was making that expression. “Vegeta, are you back?”

A howl, a blast of ki released to the sky, giant arms slamming into the ground well clear to either side of Goku. “Too… close… Kakarot…,”

“It’s okay. I’m okay.” Goku stumbled to his feet, and wow everything _ached_ , walked closer and tried to look normal. Reached up to lay a hand on the end of that giant nose, and tried not to look _terrified_. “It’ll end if you fly somewhere without a moon, right? Come on, just follow me, okay?”

Surely they’d both feel better, once Vegeta was back to normal.

* * *

The end of the transformation looked painful, and Goku felt a little terrified in a different way watching Vegeta’s body _reshape_ itself. 

He couldn’t get stuck halfway or anything, right?

Vegeta was normal again, stood naked and gorgeous as always in front of Goku. Met Goku’s eyes for half a moment before slumping, consciousness rushing away, and Goku dove forward to catch him.

Unneeded. Hitting the ground would hardly hurt Vegeta.

Goku preferred to wrap his arms around him anyway. Pressed Vegeta close against him, buried his nose in Vegeta’s hair, dug his nails into Vegeta’s back, clinging amidst the scars.

“Nnn.” Vegeta squirmed against him, already regaining consciousness, “don’t need help.”

“Who said I was helping?” Goku shifted his grip, arms around Vegeta’s waist against, tugging him more upright so that Vegeta’s chin tucked over Goku’s shoulder, “I just wanted a hug, was all.”

Suddenly Vegeta was _clinging_ to Goku, like he never did, deathgrip around Goku’s ribs, tail a vice around Goku’s waist. “Kakarot, I—, I’m so _sorry_.”

Goku’s breath froze. Shock, and yeah maybe a little bit of trouble with the continued abuse of his currently badly bruised ribs. 

Vegeta _never_ apologized. Not like this. 

“I almost—-,” Vegeta shuddered, face buried in Goku’s neck, nails drawing blood from Goku’s back, “I almost _crushed_ you again, just like back then—,”

The forest was spinning around him a bit, and Goku wasn’t sure if he wasn’t getting enough air anymore, or if it was something less physical.

“I”m okay, Vegeta,” he managed, and hoped he didn’t sound too out of breath.

The pressure around his ribs abruptly vanished. Vegeta pulled back, and Goku swayed on his feet, nothing to hold him upright.

“You are _not_ ,” Vegeta snapped, catching Goku’s shoulders before Goku could do anything quite as embarrassing as fall over, “sit _down_ right this instant, Kakarot.”

“‘Kay,” Goku said, letting his legs folder under him. Vegeta sank with him, gripping his shoulders still, guiding Goku in a controlled fall til he sat kneeling.

“ _Kakarot._ ” Vegeta smoothed a hand against Goku’s forehead, brushing Goku’s bangs back, and Goku sighed, leaned forward into the affection of the gesture.

Vegeta was warm, and he smelled _amazing_. Goku pushed his nose into the crook of Vegeta’s neck, tried to curl closer. Wished Vegeta was bigger.

No. No he didn’t. Vegeta was just perfect at this size.

Hands in Goku’s hair, soothing, stroking. Vegeta shifted, sitting with his legs crossed under him, tugged and rearranged Goku til Goku was sitting in his lap, curled sideways. One of Vegeta’s hands tangled in Goku’s hair again, the other looped around Goku’s shoulders, holding on.

“I’m sorry, Kakarot,” Vegeta murmured again, talking to Goku’s hair, and Goku wondered if he was hearing things. 

He’d move to check if Vegeta was actually talking, except he really didn’t want to move, he was so nice and comfy here.

“I felt it in your memories,” Vegeta murmured, and Goku tensed, “I know Kakarot, you didn’t want anyone to see that, but I saw it. I felt it. You were terrified. In agony.”

“Well that’s kind of expected when someone crushes all your bones,” Goku snapped. Froze, confused, not expecting the rage that bubbled up.

“That’s right,” Vegeta said, rubbing a thumb against Goku’s bare shoulder blade, and Goku sighed, relaxed back against him again. “Kakarot. You _should_ be angry at me right now.”

“It’s okay,” Goku said again, because it was, because _it had to be_ , “you didn’t know, right? You didn’t know, that you’d lose control if you transformed.”

If this was Vegeta’s fault, then, well. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be Vegeta’s fault. Goku couldn’t blame him for an accident.

Goku had stepped on his grampa. An accident. 

He would never want his own tail back. Not knowing that.

“You’re right,” Vegeta sighed, breath rustling Goku’s hair, and Goku panicked, lost the thread of conversation, “you’re right, I thought that if I happened to transform I’d retain my control as I always had.”

“You’re not mad enough anymore,” Goku said, the words falling loose as he figured out what they were talking about again. Vegeta tensed against him.

“So you saw.” Vegeta sounded upset, still, every time it came up that Goku had seen a host of his memories. Goku didn’t blame him. 

Hadn’t meant to bring it up. 

“Sorry.” Goku squeezed his arms around Vegeta’s torso. Vegeta squeezed him back, but Goku thought he was being much more gentle than he usually would.

“Don’t, Kakarot. This isn’t your day to apologize.”

* * *

Goku jumped out of the river, large fish in hand. Dinner, or breakfast, whatever meal they were calling this, having flown backwards past the nighttime of the day they’d started in.

Vegeta was fast asleep, curled on his side. Tail draped over his ankles. Goku smiled, dropped the fish, admired his Vegeta for a moment. Long-healed scars crossing bare muscled arms, sweatpants sitting low on his hips to reveal a nice amount of skin there too.

Goku had grabbed their clothes on the way back past. Maybe it was just as well they’d both been naked when the transformation happened.

The transformation must have really been exhausting, because Vegeta continued to sleep while Goku cleaned the fish. Stirred only slightly when Goku lit the fire, just a twitch of a tail, crinkle of an eyebrow, then slumping back into slumber.

Only when the fish was spitted, roasting, starting to smell delicious, only the did Vegeta yawn, stretch, wake up fully.

“You were just waiting til the food was ready,” Goku teased, coming up behind him. Hands freshly washed in the river so that Vegeta couldn’t complain about him smelling of fish guts.

“Kakarot,” Vegeta sat up, started to turn. Goku knelt, wrapped around him, caught him in a hard kiss. Kept kissing him, mouths moving against each other desperately, unclear who was trying to comfort who.

“We’re okay,” Goku mumbled between kisses, tangling his hands in Vegeta’s hair and trying to drag him closer.

“You’d better be,” Vegeta muttered, sliding his hands against Goku’s ribs with a little too much pressure, and Goku flinched, reminded of the bruises there. Sighed as Vegeta pulled back, eyes narrowed, gaze sweeping up and down Goku.

The bruising was pretty impressive. Saiyans healed fast alright, fast enough that bruises rose quickly, appearing in hours when they’d have taken days on a human. 

Vegeta pressed a thumb against some of the deepest bruising on Goku’s chest.  
Bruising made by Vegeta’s own thumbs, one applying pressure against the other where they overlapped to cause extra damage. 

Goku hissed with pain, caught Vegeta’s hand. Looked away from the understanding in Vegeta’s gaze.

That wasn’t really enough to cause pain, not on the usual scale of Goku’s pain tolerance. But everything just seemed to hurt extra right now.

“I damaged you so badly, that time,” Vegeta’s voice was soft, “you’ve never once tried to get payback.”

Well that was silly. Why would Goku want payback? Sure, he’d wanted to beat Vegeta next time they fought. But just to _win_ , not because he’d get some kind of pleasure out of returning the pain he’d been dealt.

Vegeta smiled, maybe at something he’d seen on Goku’s face. Shook his head. “Well, Kakarot. I suppose I know you well enough by now to understand why.”

“You’d better.” Goku smiled back, grasped Vegeta’s chin to tilt him closer for a softer kiss, “heck, I think at this point you know me better than anyone.”

They’d been in each other’s heads, after all. That fusion.

“I know why you don’t want your tail back, Kakarot.” Probably Vegeta was the only one who would know that fully, having fragments of Goku’s memories as he did.

“Yeah.” Too much risk. Goku couldn’t do it. “I think you should keep yours, though.”

Vegeta stared at him, disbelief in every line.

“What? I mean, you were so happy to have it back!”

A head shake, a gentle curve of lips. “You’re too forgiving, Kakarot.”

“You love me anyway,” Goku daringly said, tugging Vegeta closer for another hug.

“Hm,” was all Vegeta said. But he curled his tail around Goku’s waist and wrapped his arms around Goku to return the hug.

Goku figured that was agreement.


End file.
